Murray camp fear North deal may not get done
There are still three-and-a-half hours to go until the trade deadline, but the Nick Murray camp are beginning to fear he will not get to North Melbourne.
Confidence was high for most of the trade period, but it has sunk on deadline day as Adelaide refuse to budge.
The Crows say they will trade Murray if the deal is fair – but fair to them is a top-20 pick.
After exploring all options, the Roos have not been able to land one.
Murray’s team do not believe Adelaide are bluffing on their request for a top-20 selection, but that will play out across the evening.
The deadline is 7.30pm, and unlike Brisbane’s Will McLachlan, Murray is contracted and doesn’t have the ability to walk to the pre-season draft.
Hartley says Tigers are going hard in this year’s draft
We reported earlier on Richmond securing pick five from Port Adelaide and the Tigers have made it clear they went hard after high picks in this year’s draft to avoid next year’s “compromised draft”.
The arrival of the Tasmania Devils will see them have picks 1,3, 5, 7,9, 11 and 13 plus the first pick in each subsequent round although picks 5, 7, 11 and 13 need to be traded to other clubs.
Tigers football talent executive general manager Blair Hartley said that format was why side sought out picks in this year’s draft.
“To have the opportunity to pick two players at the very front end of this year’s draft is exciting for us and gives us a chance to further bolster the talent on our list before Tasmania’s concessions take over next year,” Hartley said.
“The 2027 draft is set to be significantly compromised, so it made strategic sense for us to take this approach.”
The Tigers hold picks 2, 5, 44 and 81 in this year’s draft on November 19.
Will Nick Murray find a new home?
The Crows remain adamant they need a top-20 pick in next month’s draft to part with contracted defender Nick Murray.
North Melbourne and Murray’s management have tried every club to see if they can get their hands on a selection at that part of the draft without luck.
The Roos have offered Murray, who is contracted until the end of 2028, a five-year deal, but there is genuine doubt this will happen.
Without scoring that top-20 selection, the best North can do is present Adelaide with their highest picks this year – 33 and 49 – plus next year’s first-rounder.
So far, the Crows are not content with that, given they already lost Jordon Butts in free agency and feel they will be left vulnerable down back without Murray as well.
Teams arrive for trade deadline
In Pictures: The biggest moments of the 2026 AFL season
Revisiting the biggest trade dramas from 2025
While we count down the hours until trade deadline, why not revisit one of the big moments from last year.
Tigers secure Port Adelaide’s pick five
Richmond has secured Port Adelaide’s pick five in the draft.
The Tigers, who already have the second pick in the draft, have landed pick 5 as well after handing over pick 22 in this year’s draft as well as their first second and fourth round picks next year.
It’s worth remembering that while the Tigers gave up pick 22 they stand to receive an end of first round pick under new AFL rules compensating bottom five clubs if they have kept their original first five draft pick and a bid is matched on an academy or father son player.
With Dougie Cochrane and Cody Walker certain to be bid on in the first five – one of them probably by Richmond – ensures they get an extra pick in the 20’s.
When will we see some action
Thanks for joining us folks. A reminder that no trades can be lodged until after 2pm.
While we twiddle our thumbs, here’s a summary of some footy news you might have missed this week.
Opinion: Ruthless Roos leap towards relevance with Blakey blockbuster
North Melbourne finally reeled in their big fish. Or, “Lizard” in this case.
Nick Blakey is not a gun midfielder or a Coleman Medal-winning spearhead, but he is a legitimate star with an All-Australian honour and two grand final appearances on his resume.
What games to watch for AFLW Pride Round
It’s the second week of pride round for the women’s league, with a double header at Windy Hill on Sunday.
The action kicks of on Friday with Melbourne v Richmond at Ikon Park at 7.15pm, followed by Adelaide v Gold Coast on Saturday at 1pm at Unley Oval, in Adelaide.
An interesting game to keep an eye on is Brisbane v Port Adelaide. Brisbane have had a disappointing year and after a string of losses, are out of finals contention.
Can they bounce back with a win this weekend?
Have your say: What match-up are you keen for?
This trade period has brought us some big moves, with Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters moving to Western Bulldogs, Essendon’s Zach Merrett moving to Hawthorn and Swan Nick Blakey moving to North Melbourne.
We also saw Sun Ben King move to Hawthorn and St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall finally get to Geelong.
It’s going to give fans some pretty juicy games for the 2027 fixture.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
